ekalimusic

Ekali is more than just an alter ego for musician Nathan Shaw. It’s not only the name for an electronic production project that—just a few months after posting his first track—brought a level of recognition that most artists spend a career dreaming about. It’s also a reflection of a remarkable musical journey that’s led him far outside the crowded beat-making field.
Although only 26 years old, Shaw has already been playing music for almost half his life. Growing up bouncing between Vancouver, British Columbia and tiny Mayne Island (just across the Strait of Georgia from the city), Shaw absorbed his parents vinyl obsession early before picking up a violin when he was 12. Within a couple years he’d moved on to guitar, then to bass, which he played in his school’s jazz program before dropping out at age 15 to pursue music full time. He was a session bassist and touring musician, playing indie rock, folk, jazz, hardcore, and posthardcore.